


The Mouse Saves the Mouser

by cosmicoyote



Series: When Cats and Mice Play [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Breaking Spells, Cat Puns, Cat antics, Chat is a cat, Chat with cat brain, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Mulitmouse, Multichat - Freeform, Protectiveness, Spells & Enchantments, because Hawkmoth, cat chases mouse, chase - Freeform, chat noir - Freeform, dash of Marichat, miraculous magic, play, sassy Chat, silly cat, stubborn Chat, stubborn Multimouse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-19 06:01:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22672996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicoyote/pseuds/cosmicoyote
Summary: Chat Noir is hit with a spell that addles his mind and transforms him into a cat trapped inside the body of a leather-wearing superhero. For whatever reason, in his confused state, he wants nothing to do with Ladybug or Marinette. However, Marinette has a plan to get him to follow her and hide him safely while she thinks up a way to cure him. She just needs a little help from a mouse.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Multimouse
Series: When Cats and Mice Play [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1630588
Comments: 21
Kudos: 384





	The Mouse Saves the Mouser

**Author's Note:**

> (Sing-song voice) I caaaaan't make decent titles!
> 
> I'll try and get better! 
> 
> So this will have Multichat with a dash of Marichat. It's the best of both worlds. ♥

A normal day in Paris saw Ladybug and Chat Noir chasing an akuma across rooftops. This one in particular was fast and clever, and was starting to test the two heroes' patience.

"Why is she so fast?" Ladybug complained as they cleared another apartment building and her yoyo missed its target. She was attempting to lasso the akuma like a cowboy with a calf, but that strategy had failed. Multiple times.

Yes, a normal day in Paris.

The akuma was, of all things, a marathon runner who had come in second place after a close stretch at the end, losing by mere seconds due to her shoe malfunctioning and tearing. She had been akumatized after she worked so hard to build up her endurance, and the victory had been snatched right out from beneath her because of a busted shoe.

Admittedly, Ladybug couldn't blame the woman for being upset, but her enhanced speed and endurance after being akumatized by Hawkmoth meant that even she and Chat were tiring.

"I'm... I'm _paw-_ sitive my lungs are burning, m'lady," Chat Noir choked, just managing a pun.

"You're fine if you have the energy to make lame jokes!" she retorted as they both did a flip in order to land lightly on the roof of the Le Grand Paris Hotel and not fall over.

"We need a new strategy," Ladybug panted as she finally skidded to a stop. "Keep an eye on her."

Chat nodded and moved to the edge of the roof to keep track of the akuma while she used her superpower.

"Lucky charm!" she called as she flung her yoyo into the air. After a burst of light, a large pad with her signature red with black spots appeared. At first, Ladybug had no idea what it was. It felt like a giant sticker. Her thumb worried at the clear plastic on top, and she realized it was an enlarged sticky that someone would use to hang something on the wall and not have to drill a hole.

"Is that a... mega Command strip or something?" Chat Noir asked, sounding bemused as he glanced back at her before returning to his watch duties.

"I think so," Ladybug murmured. "I'm not sure how to..." She was going to say she wasn't sure how she was supposed to use it, but just as the words left her lips, she had an idea. Heart racing, she hurried to the covered pool and frowned. The glass protecting the pool from the elements would make a great clinging surface. She glanced around and her eyes landed on her flirty partner who had his back to her.

Ladybug peeled off the first sticky side and dropped it carefully onto the glass then smoothed it out securely. When she was sure it wasn't going to budge, she removed the covering on the side facing up and stepped back. "Can you lure her here?" she asked Chat Noir.

The cat hero grinned toothily. "Absolutely."

"Good." She smiled. "Cause here's my plan..."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Just two minutes later (which was lucky because her miraculous was beeping insistently), Chat came racing through, cackling as the akumatized runner bolted after him.

"Are you _running_ out of steam?" Chat called over his shoulder as he sprang over the sticky trap. "How about I _jog_ your memory as to how this is going to end?"

He really was a dork.

Just as she had hoped, the akuma was too angry to see their trap and promptly got stuck on the over-sized sticky strip. Capturing the akuma was child's play after that. After returning everything to normal, Ladybug grimaced as she heard her miraculous insist she only had a minute left before she was her civilian self.

"Chat, I gotta go."

"I've got this, m'lady," Chat said with a small smile. They tapped fists then she took off with a whir of her yoyo.

Chat took the runner home who was thrilled to see her kids and wife who had been understandably worried about her. Chat gave them a solute then hurried into the back allies.

If he hadn't been so worried about finding a safe place to detransform, he would've seen the blue figure stalking him, their purple eyes locked onto his back.

Chat Noir skidded to a halt down the street from his father's mansion and took a calming breath. This akuma had pushed him to the limit endurance-wise, but at least his cataclysm hadn't been needed this time. Plagg wouldn't be too tired. Hopefully. He loved his kwami, but the little cat sure could complain a lot.

He was getting ready to drop his transformation, when he heard a low chuckle. His head snapped up, and he narrowed his eyes at the indigo blue peacock villain. "Mayura!" he snarled, drawing his baton.

Mayura leered. "Catch, you mangy stray."

He didn't have a chance. She dropped what looked like a little purple bag just above him. He twirled his baton to shield himself from it, but the bag burst open when it made contact with his spinning weapon. He yelped as a purple-blue powder exploded all over him, and he began to cough as he inhaled the mysterious substance.

Chat groaned as his head spun, and he fell to his knees, all but choking as his lungs took in the unknown powder.

He heard Mayura laugh cruelly from above him, and that was the last thing he was aware of before he blacked out.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Unbeknownst to Marinette, she was the only thing that prevented Chat Noir from being captured by Mayura and, subsequently, Hawkmoth.

The frantic girl was so focused on hurrying home to resume her homework that had been delayed due to the akuma, the last thing she expected was to run into a grumpy alley cat.

She didn't know what was happening at first. She was trying to slow her jogging to fast walking to appear less panicked, but her adrenaline was at its max after chasing the akumatized marathon runner for so long on top of racing to beat her detransformation.

A loud CRASH! caught her attention, and Marinette skidded to a stop, frowning into the semi-darkness. "Hello?" she called nervously.

It was too dark see very far into the alleyway, so she squinted to peer into the shadows.

"Anyone there?" she asked against her better judgement. A gut instinct told her whatever was just out of her line of sight wasn't going to be harmful, but her curiosity got the better of her. She moved a step into the mouth of the alley.

A pair of luminous green eyes suddenly appeared and locked onto her. Marinette gulped. The pupils were slits, and a low growl had the hair on her arms standing on end. No, there was no way that was an ordinary animal... unless the zoo had an escaped panther she wasn't aware of.

It was far-fetched for even at his goofiest, he never acted like this, but Marinette licked her dry lips before whispering, "Chat Noir?"

A low rumble answered her, and she found herself unable to move as the eyes grew closer and closer. Her heart beating a tattoo against her rib cage, Marinette braced herself for it not being her dorky partner... unless he had been akumatized. That thought sent her into a panicked cold sweat.

No, he wouldn't be. He was too happy today, there was no way anything could've upset-

His blond head emerged, the messy locked arranged around his black cat ears. Then his hands, clawed and familiar, moved silently over the dirty ground. He was prowling on all fours. She had seen him do so as Ladybug before, but he had been running or crouching at the time. He was moving towards her like she was his prey.

"Ch-Chat?" she stammered.

There was something coldly detached in his expression - an expression she had never seen on his animated face before. His eyes had lost their warmth and playfulness to be replaced by a predatory intensity. She wanted to step back but couldn't. It was as if his eyes were locking her knees in place.

"K-Kitty?" she tried instead.

That made him pause. He cocked his head to the side and regarded her as if trying to recall her face. The sudden change from focused hunter to confused kitty made it easier for her to move. She bent forward a little and held out her hand. "It's me, _chaton_ ," she murmured. "It's Marinette."

Chat Noir swished his belt tail and moved hesitantly closer to her hand. He sniffed her fingers, and for a long moment, he peered up at her. Marinette held her breath, feeling as if she was waiting an eternity. Then his pupils rounded as he smiled and brushed his cheek against her hand. His deep purr was the most wonderful sound she had ever heard.

"You're okay," she murmured in relief as she slid her fingers into his hair. He was acting like he did after Malediktator zapped him with his decree that Chat become an actual cat in mannerisms. As far as she could tell, he looked the same, but he was far from himself. "I have to get you out of here," she added quietly and mostly to herself. She lead him into the shadows of the alley in case heaven forbid someone stumble upon them and startle Chat into his previous predatory state.

"Come on, Chat, I have to get you home." Her reputation as Lady Luck held out at least that much; her parents were away for the weekend because a cousin of hers in China was getting married. She had been left behind to tend to minor orders in the bakery. Plus, she had school and barely knew anyone from that side of her family. Not to mention her Ladybug duties. She was fine with staying home. "Here, kitty kitty," she coaxed, patting her leg. Was that a dog or cat thing? She had never had a pet before, so she wasn't sure.

Chat blinked at her then made a mewing sound and bolted back into the alley. She watched in astonishment as he batted around a discarded pair of broken earbuds. He swatted it around enthusiastically, his pupils big and round as he played with the useless earbuds.

"Chat," Marinette hissed, injecting a more Ladybug-sounding tone in her voice. "We can't stay here. Someone will see you!"

Her words didn't appear to make any impact on her partner as he switched to climbing a fridge that had been thrown out. He perched on top of it and purred happily as he tucked his tail around his legs and looked around, taking in his new vantage point.

Marinette sighed. There was no denying he was cute, but she needed to get him home. She glanced at his ring, and then she remembered he hadn't used his cataclysm today during their fight, so he wasn't in any danger of transforming back. Another plus.

"Come on, kitty." Marinette picked up the gross earbuds and tried to get his attention by waving them around, but Chat Noir looked at her with an unimpressed cat expression before turning and curling up, his head resting on his arms as he slept.

Starting to get annoyed with his lack of cooperation, Marinette dropped the makeshift toy and marched up to her sleepy partner and reached up to tug on his tail.

He yelped and yanked his tail out of reach. He turned and gave her a dirty look before laying down. She was short enough that she couldn't reach him anymore.

"Ugh! Stubborn cat," she muttered.

Then an idea came to her, and she smiled. "Stay here," she murmured as she made a beeline for her house. She just hoped her wild idea worked out and he stayed put.

Chat Noir yawned and turned over onto his back as he continued to nap contentedly.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

A short time later, Multimouse was hurrying back to the alleyway where she left her sleeping partner. She hoped with everything she had that he had remained where he was while she went to get the mouse miraculous and transform without anyone being any the wiser.

However, her luck was waning, for when she landed in the familiar alley, her cat partner was missing.

"Chat!" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth so that her voice echoed between the brick buildings. "Here, kitty kitty!"

No response.

Heart hammering in panic, Multimouse used her jump rope to leap onto the nearest building and begin jogging along the edges of the adjacent rooftops. Her eyes searched for her best friend as she grew more and more frantic.

"Chat!" she called again after several minutes of finding nothing. "Please! I got a mouse for you to chase!" A.k.a. _her_ , but she couldn't even locate a sign of him.

Then, a loud crash followed by what sounded like dozens of aluminum cans toppling onto the concrete came from an alley several meters to her left. Just as she was hurrying towards the commotion, she heard a loud snarl and cat yowl that sounded like an alley cat getting into a fight.

Her heart in her throat, Multimouse slid to the edge of the roof above and looked down to see that her partner was cornered.

Chat Noir was hissing, his spine arching and his tail high above his body in a practical straight line as he snarled down at a pack of stray dogs. Four dirty dogs, three of them quite large and one of them looking as if it was some kind of Chihuahua mixed with a rat, were barking and growling as they attempted to reach the terrified cat boy.

Her partner was crouched on a fire escape balcony that had long since been ignored. It was rusty, and the ladder was no where to be seen, so it was basically a balcony that lead to no where. His panic appeared to make him forget that he could easily leap onto the roof above and escape the riled up canines.

Multimouse leapt to the building Chat was hunkered down on and knelt down. "Chat! Up here!" she held out her hand for him to take.

But it appeared her cat partner was unable to understand. He was too busy staring down at the rowdy dogs with his pupils blown wide with terror. He was shivering, and that sparked a protective instinct within Marinette she didn't know she had.

She drew her jump rope and swung it above her head. "Hey! Back off!" she snapped down at the stray dogs. When they didn't back down, she twirled the rope and smashed it down against the side of a dumpster.

That got their attention. The bigger dogs yelped and began backing away from the loud noise. The little dog winced then snarled and bared its teeth up at the mouse heroine. Multimouse narrowed her eyes and showed her teeth back. "I said _back off!_ " She struck the metal again, making a defining sound that even hurt her ears in the confined space of the alley.

This time, all of the dogs retreated and bolted for the back allies, tails tucked and whimpering.

Multimouse didn't like the idea of hurting animals, so scaring them off had been her best idea. Even though they had been after her partner, she still would never had hurt them. 

She jumped down to stand on the top of the dumpster beside the one she struck and below where Chat was crouched.

Her poor kitty now was flat against the cold metal of the ancient fire escape. His ears were pinned against his head, and his tail was tucked underneath him. His eyes were also squeezed shut as he shook like he was laying on a block of ice.

"Kitty?" she asked softly. She wrapped her jump rope around her waist then slowly held out her hands. She touched his cheek, and he winced as if she had struck him. This broke her heart, and she responded by cooing softly and pushing his blonde hair away from his eyes. His shaking slowed very slightly.

"I'm here," she assured him, cupping his face with her hands and looking into his dilated pupils. "Breathe. Everything's okay."

She wasn't sure how much he was understanding her and taking in, but his breathing slowed, and his trembling began to subside. He started to purr again and leaned his face into her touch. Warmth spread through her as she comforted her partner and calmed him down.

Once she was sure he was relaxed, for he began to sit up and lift his tail, Multimouse smiled and used her rope to act as a toy for him to bat at. This enticed him to follow her to the roof, and he stayed close enough to rub against her legs and swat at her tail.

"Okay, let's get you home," she said with more determination. 

Just as she had hoped, he followed her this time. Whether it was because she looked like a mouse now, because she had a cat toy attached to her waist, or because she had saved him from the dogs, she wasn't sure. She wasn't complaining either way.

Mulitmouse lead Chat Noir in a literal game of cat and mouse to entice him to chase her all the way across town to her apartment above her parents' bakery. She tossed her jump rope to her balcony and landed behind the chimney to sweep the area and be extra cautious about keeping watch for wondering eyes.

When the coast was clear, she detransformed and landed beside Chat who was looking for his now nonexistent toy that had vanished when she became Marinette.

"Come on, kitty, follow me." Marinette opened the trap door to her bedroom. To her intense relief, he meowed happily as he jumped down through the opening and landed gracefully on her mattress.

Marinette joined him and closed the door with a huff.

Chat frowned at her and cocked his head as if he no longer recognized her. He looked nervous as he backed into her wall and gave her scared kitten eyes that made her heart ache.

"It's me, Chat. I just dropped the mouse suit." She tried to touch his arm and assure him, but he winced and nearly toppled off of her bed.

Biting her lip, she looked around at the mouse kwami, Mullo, who had been silent up until that point.

"I think he's started feeling more comfortable with you as Mulitmouse," murmured the kwami. "You probably smell different, too."

Marinette sighed. "Are you okay with me staying transformed?" she asked Mullo.

The mouse kwami snickered. "I'll be okay as long as you don't multiply."

After she was Mulitmouse again, she held out her hand for Chat to sniff. His muscles relaxed, and she knew Mullo had been right about him being more at ease with her transformed. She smiled when he snuggled up to her, his purr deep and loud.

"Alright, kitty. I'm here." She allowed him to sprawl across her lap and relax. She stroked his hair and massaged his back as he finally settled down.

Chat had already been through a lot in a short time. Now, she needed to figure out how he became like this. She hadn't had an akuma alert or anything like that. She frowned and pulled out her cellphone as she heard Tikki emerge from her hiding spot to look over her shoulder.

"Tikki!" she yelped softly, glancing down at her lap. The cat hero was deeply asleep, his eyes closed as he rested peacefully.

Tikki giggled softly. "He's out, but even if he wasn't awake, he wouldn't remember seeing me."

"Why not?" Multimouse asked.

"Kwami magic," Tikki responded simply.

Multimouse blew out a breath to disrupt her bangs. "Right. So... do you have any idea what happened to him?" She put her phone away, now convinced this wasn't an akuma's work, but what could it be?

Tikki crossed her little arms and sat on her owner's shoulder as she stared down thoughtfully at the sleeping cat. "I actually don't know. I have a feeling this is Hawkmoth's doing."

"Why would he do this?" she asked, her hand laying protectively on Chat's shoulder.

"Probably to make him an easier target to capture," Tikki answered darkly.

The mouse heroine's fingers still in Chat's hair tightened, and he snuffled in his sleep. She slowly stroked his locks back to assure him that he could keep napping and looked at her kwami. "I wish Master Fu was here," she murmured, tears gathering in her eyes.

She would need to be the one to cure him. She was on her own with no Master Fu to guide her. She only had Tikki who had limited knowledge of the miraculous and their powers in order to keep the secrets. She only had the translated grimoire that she had found in the old gramophone.

"We'll find a solution, Marinette," Tikki assured her, ever the bright light in a seemingly hopeless situation. "Chat will be okay in the meantime."

Marinette let go of her transformation once more then let Chat sleep against her pillows. He luckily stayed in dreamland while she tucked him in and slowly made her way down to her floor. To prevent herself from becoming too exhausted, she removed the mouse necklace and put it in the miracle box after giving Mullo a snack.

Tikki stayed out as Marinette began flipping through the grimoire, searching for what could've possibly happened to her partner.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Hours later, Marinette found herself staring tiredly at a line of translated text. She blinked and realized she had been staring at the same words for the greater part of five minutes and hadn't taken in a word.

"You're exhausted, Marinette," Tikki told her softly. "It's late. Chat and the book will still be here in the morning."

Marinette rubbed at her dry eyes. "You're right, but I'm... I'm not sure what we're dealing with here other than it being a spell of some sort."

Tikki looked up at the sleeping cat hero above them. His arm dangled down, the one with his miraculous. All of the toe pads were gleaming and not blinking.

"And he can't detransform without saying 'claws in'," Marinette murmured hopelessly. "Or pulling off his ring."

Tikki nodded. "Even then, it might not cure him."

Marinette stood up and played with his clawed hand. He gripped hers in his sleep - the most human reaction he had expressed since being... spelled? Enchanted? Hypnotized? She wasn't sure even now, but it had to be something magical to effect him like this.

"I'll fix you, kitty," she murmured softly. "I promise."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The next day saw Marinette panicking not only because of Chat's condition but because of the homework that she had neglected in order to search for a cure to fix him. After making breakfast for her and Chat, she was laying on her chaise couch doing said homework.

Chat made a noise as she scanned her history book for answers to her worksheet. Marinette looked up to see the cat hero giving her a suspicious look. The plate of bacon and eggs in front of him remained untouched. He sat down and pawed moodily at the ground.

"Chat, you have to eat," Marinette told him sharply.

Chat Noir huffed and crossed his arms, staring at the ceiling pointedly.

"Stubborn," Tikki murmured, sitting on Marinette's textbook and looking over at their feline companion. "Like his kwami," she added with some snark.

That made Marinette smile. "Alright." She got up and removed her ladybug earrings before slipping on the mouse necklace. After Mullo was freed, she transformed back into Multimouse and crossed her arms.

Chat perked his ears up then mewed and bounded over to her. He arched his back and rubbed against her legs in dizzying circles, nearly causing her to fall over.

"Hey, Kitty! Stop it!" Multimouse giggled and knelt to scratch behind his cat ears. "Okay, now go eat."

He pouted but wondered back over to his plate of food. He stared at her as if expecting her to drop her transformation. When she didn't, he purred and stuck his face in the plate of food. As she had expected, table manners didn't exist in the mind of a cat, but it was fine. A bit of egg could easily be cleaned up.

When he was finished, he groomed himself and made sure to get his cheeks and chin. Chat hurried over to her when he was done as she lay on her stomach, doing her history homework as Multimouse. He jumped behind her and curled up against the back of her legs before he rested his cheek against his arms. His eyes closed, and he purred as he rested.

Multimouse found herself rubbing his back absently as she made notes and completed her worksheet for class. She was just finishing the last question, when Chat Noir stretched unexpectedly. Had he been a normal cat, this would not have been an issue. However, he was still a lanky boy and, therefore, much larger than the average kitty. The force at which he exerted on her caused Multimouse to literally squeak in fright and topple to the floor.

The history book missed her face, thank goodness, but she still landed on her back on the hard floor below.

"Chat!" she snarled, sitting up. To her intense annoyance, the cat was still sound asleep, but his long limbs were stretched over her chaise and hanging over the sides. His belt tail was laying over the head of her couch as he lazily napped - unaware of the fright he had given her.

"Stupid cat," she muttered, moving her books to her desk and dropping her transformation back to Marinette. He was asleep, so he wouldn't fuss about her being in civilian form.

When her history homework was done along with her science practice quiz, she resumed her exploration of the grimoire. There had to be something about a spell that hypotized heroes or made them develop more intense animal tendencies.

As she was reading a paragraph about kwami sickness, Marinette caught a soft shuffling noise behind her. She turned her head, but nobody was behind her. She frowned and shook her head before turning back to the book. She had only taken in two sentences when she heard another rustle. She looked up, and saw Chat's lanky form crouched on top of her desk and playing with one of her colored pencils. Even with his bell, he moved in virtual silence. His clawed hands scrambled to keep the pencil within reach as he played with it.

"CHAT NOIR!" Marinette thundered, channeling her mom voice. "GET DOWN!"

The cat hero narrowed his eyes at her, unimpressed, then resumed his playing with her pencil. He knocked it off the desk, but, undeterred, he went after a pen instead.

Marinette sighed in exasperation and tugged on his tail, making him yelp indignantly and glare at her. She jabbed a finger at the floor. "Down!"

Chat growled low in his throat at her. He then lifted his head and made eye contact as he slowly lifted his paw and, still not taking his eyes off hers, he swiped the pen off of the desk deliberately. Neither moved as the pen clattered to the floor, and a few seconds of heavy silence followed.

"Okay, fine. Stubborn cat," she grumbled. Marinette put the mouse necklace back on and transformed.

Chat's eyes grew round and he batted curiously at her pink necklace to which she slapped his hand away defensively. He mewed pitifully and gave her kitten eyes.

Sighing, Multimouse pointed to the floor. "Down," she said with more calm and less force than before.

Chat huffed but obeyed her this time and jumped down. He landed lightly then slunk over to the chaise couch. He spun around, and Multimouse resumed her reading. She inhaled and exhaled in order to calm herself and focus on her task.

She heard Tikki suppressing giggles which she ignored.

A few minutes after she began a new chapter that looked promising and mentioned messing with superheroes minds, she heard a creaking sound mixed with claws scraping fabric behind her.

Horrified, Multimouse spun around, expecting to see the cat hero with his claws in one of her projects. Boy, would she have his hide if-

She blinked. He was doing nothing of the sort. Chat Noir's eyes were half lidded as he slowly flexed his hands on a cushion resting on her chaise. His tail swished lazily behind him as he crouched over the pillows.

Chat Noir was kneading a pillow, and she wasn't sure how to deal with it. 

He was positively adorable, and she had to suppress a high-pitched squeak at how cute he looked. 

Tikki crossed her arms. "If it didn't jeopardize your identity, I would encourage you to immortalize this on your phone."

That did make Multimouse giggle. "You're right. This will be our own little memory."

After he finished kneading, Chat curled up into a ball and slept. That seemed to be all he wanted to do for now. When she was sure he was asleep, she let Mullo rest and lounged back to continue her seemingly hopeless search for a cure for Chat's... affliction.

She nodding off before long. It was only around one in the afternoon, but she had been up late worrying about him, and frankly her eyes hurt from staring at the same small print for so long.

Marinette was startled awake when there was a soft thump followed by the clatter of pens. Her eyes flew open in time to see Chat scrambling over her desk. His boot narrowly avoided kicking her computer monitor as he struggling to get a hold of her mug which contained her collection of pens, pencils, and erasers. She could do nothing but stare in shock as his hands grasped at the mug's handle, but it slipped through his fingers like a bar of soap.

"Chat!" Marinette made to grab the mug, but he caught sight of her and meowed indignantly before swiping the mug with more gusto. The mug broke as it made contact with the ground - shattering into a few pieces and causing the contents to roll in several directions. Chat wasted no time in going after the spilled writing utensils. Him launching himself off of the desk caused several of her sketches on loose paper to fly everywhere.

"HEY!" she cried indignantly as he spilled her tea and soaked a few of the drawings. "CHAT! STOP!" Tiredness and stress spilled out of her, and she threw an eraser at his head.

Chat yelped and recoiled as the rubber made contact with his cat ear. He hissed and scrambled over to the chaise couch. He slid under it and crouched low, his green eyes staring out at her furiously.

Panting, Marinette groaned and moved to clean up as her temper cooled. She shouldn't have yelled at him like that, much less thrown an eraser, but he hadn't been listening. She was exhausted from reading hundreds of pages and scared for him at the same time.

Once the tea was mopped up and the broken pieces of mug cleared away, Marinette turned to her partner who was still hiding under her couch and scowling at her. She couldn't blame him.

"Chat," she murmured, moving to the couch and sitting down in front of it. He hissed a warning she normally would find comical, but she ignored it. "Chat, I'm so sorry. I'm just exhausted."

He growled and avoided her gaze stubbornly.

She sighed and touched the necklace. "Mullo, get squeaky." When she was Multimouse, he glanced at her then flattened his ears. Hurt burned in his eyes and made her feel even more guilty. She smiled softly and put her hand on the ground. She drummed her fingers on the wood floor which made her nails tap lightly. "I'm sorry," she whispered again.

Sad kitty eyes met hers and he slowly slid out of his hiding place. His ears were forward with curiosity as he crawled towards her. She smiled and held out her hand. He slowly put his cheek into her palm then closed his eyes and purred. He moved closer and laid down across her legs. She smiled and ran her fingers over his scalp. "I'm sorry, Kitty," she apologized yet again. He had been through a lot and didn't deserve her anger.

He turned over onto his back and smiled sweetly at her. She flicked his bell then tickled him under his chin. She tried scratching his belly, but a half-lidded glare had her retreating back to his head and neck.

He sat up slowly, and Multimouse grabbed the book to resume reading while he sprawled over her legs. She was scratching the back of his head when she came across what she was looking for. "HERE!"

Chat stared at her indignantly as she woke him up from his lazy doze.

"I found it!" Multimouse punched the air, and Tikki squealed happily as she stood and put the book on her desk. "They hit him with a mind addling powder!" She frowned. "The cure... is a _bath?_ "

Tikki grimaced. "Oh, no."

Multimouse looked down at her partner, and Chat's eyes were big as if he had understood what she said. He scrambled away from her and bolted for the trapdoor.

If Marinette hadn't been Multimouse, she wouldn't have been able to grab him in time. Even so, he was almost nudging open the door to her balcony when she tackled him around the middle. He yelped and wiggled, but she held him in a body lock by wrapping her legs around his and then putting an arm around his head.

"Chat," she grumbled. "You need to bathe in the cure or you'll be a cat-brained dork for the rest of your life!"

He stiffened and went limp. She turned her head to see scared green eyes looking into her own. He whimpered, and tried to... speak? His lips twitched, and he looking as if he wanted to say something, but all that came out was a weak, "Mew?"

Frustrated tears formed in his eyes, and she saw for the first time, a shadow of her partner's human mind struggling to surface.

"Shh." She held his face in her gloved hands and stroked his cheeks under his mask. "It'll be okay. I promise."

He nodded, and she smiled at him before hugging him towards her. He purred and snuggled closer.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Hours later, with help from Tikki, Multimouse was standing in front of her filled bathtub with her heart in her throat. According to the book, Chat needed to submerge himself in a bath of the cure that she was currently holding a bottle. It was bright pink and sparkling faintly as if she had mixed glitter into it.

Chat was clinging to her leg like a needy toddler, his eyes on the bathtub as if it were full of sharks.

She patted his head. "Don't worry, Kitty. It won't hurt." _I don't think it will, anyway._ she added silently to herself. She took a breath and poured the pink fluid into her tub. The warm water bubbled as if she had lit a fire under it, and then settled. It now looked like the bath was full of pink lemonade.

"Okay." Multimouse put the empty bottle down then placed a hand on Chat's head. "Come on, Kitty. You need to get in."

He mewled and shook his head hard, his claws digging stubbornly into her leg.

She groaned. "Chaaaat," she wined, starting to lose her composure again. "Come on!" She dragged her leg to the tub, and he tried to wrap his legs around the door, but he failed, so the rubber heels of his boots scrambled on the tiled floor without a good grip.

Chat yowled, but she slammed the door shut and then grabbed him under the armpits. "Kitty! Get. Off. Me!" she ground out each word with a tug, but he somehow made himself extra heavy. His stubbornness made him dead weight.

Ugh.

Her twin mouse buns were beginning to come out of their ties, so strands of black hair fell into her eyes. She puffed them away and heaved her headstrong partner a few more inches forward.

He yowled with fear, and the sound was honestly pathetic, but she knew he needed this. He needed to be back to normal. He couldn't go on like this for the rest of his life. His family would miss him; he wouldn't be able to detransform into his civilian self; he couldn't help Ladybug defeat Hawkmoth.

They reached the tub, and Chat had a death grip on her by then. Multimouse massaged the back of his neck for comfort. "Come on, Chat," she murmured softly. "Just a little more. The water won't hurt you. You just need to let it fix you."

He lifted his head, and her heart throbbed painfully when his gaze met hers. His green eyes were blown with fear - showing just how terrified he was to be near the water. 

Why did he have to be a _cat_ of all animals? Why couldn't he be an otter or a turtle? She needed him calmer if they were going to get through this and fix him.

Multimouse knelt and pressed her forehead to his. He jerked as if startled, but then he leaned into her and sighed as his muscles relaxed. He rumbled, and she smiled. He was her kitty. No matter how their feelings stood, they were partners. They went through everything together, and they had overcome so much since Master Fu gave them both their miraculous in order to defeat Stoneheart. Little did they know about the adventures they would have: trusting each other, laughing, crying, and protecting the city they loved. 

Chat swallowed, and she leaned back to take his hands. They stood together, and she noted he was standing up straight instead of on all fours - a good sign.

"Okay," she murmured. "Easy does it."

Chat looked as if he would rather fling himself out her window, but he set his jaw and lifted his foot up. He slipped it into the water and winced, trying to retreat and back out at once.

Multimouse was having none of it. She grabbed him around the waist, and attempted to shove him in. But, even though she wore a mouse costume, she was still Marinette underneath. So, being Marinette, she slipped, and both of them plunged into the water. They struggled, and she had to pull her partner all the way in as he gripped the rim of her tub with his claws. 

Chat Noir yowled like he was being set on fire and slashed his claws at the air. He got a hold of the shower curtain and brought it down with them. Multimouse squealed as her face was slapped with water that made her skin tingle. She twisted and kept her arms locked in a strong grip around Chat's waist.

Eventually, he tried to twist from her grasp, and she took advantage to grab his shoulders and force his head under the pink cure. She panted heavily as if she had gone another round of chasing the marathon akuma from earlier. She slumped against the side of the tub, the water level with her chest, and panted as she recovered.

Her partner blew bubbles then suddenly burst from the water, his blonde hair sopping and clinging to his face and neck. He choked and then leaned back against the opposite end of the tub, their legs somewhat tangled together. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and blinking slowly at her as if waking up from a dream.

He shook his head and then his eyes cleared and widened. "M-Multimouse?" he stammered.

She slumped back with relief and groaned. "Oh, thank god! You're back."

Chat Noir scrunched his eyebrows as he frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You... were a cat..." Multimouse waved her hands around then flopped back against the end of the tub again. "Like... yeah... but you're okay now."

He smiled and shook his head. "I don't remember much." He frowned again. "I wasn't... _akumatized_ or anything was I?" His face went blank with fear.

She shook her head. "No. It was a spell Hawkmoth must've gotten from the stolen grimoire copy."

Chat shuddered. "I didn't... make a a fool of myself, did I?"

Multimouse gave him a playful look to which he blushed, and she giggled hard. "Let's just say I couldn't tell the difference most of the time."

"Hey! Princess!" Chat made to lunge at her, but Multimouse sprang from the tub and hastily dried herself off with a towel. She threw a second towel at Chat and aimed for his face to slow him down as she made a mad dash for her room.

She heard her partner hurrying after her, and just as she was about to open her trapdoor, strong arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her back down onto the mattress.

Chat Noir's green eyes sparkled with warmth as he looked down at her. Multimouse giggled and brushed his damp hair away from his eyes. "I'm glad you're back, kitty."

"Me too, little mouse." He pressed his forehead against hers, and his soft purr comforted them both knowing he was back to being himself at last.

**Author's Note:**

> They are slowly becoming my favorite ship to write about ngl.
> 
> A big thanks to those who said I should make this a series! I'm having so much fun writing these! :3
> 
> Just a note that I KNOW it's canon for Hawky to have the only (?) translated version of the superhero grimoire in his possession, which will make season 4 SUPER fun for Marinette. However, for the sake of her finding a solution and because this is a fanfic anyway, she has her own copy. (:
> 
> Kudos and feedback always appreciated! ♥


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